Hm...well if you want to do mainly jumps and rails go with a freestyle type of board. But, then when you get to freestyle boards if you want to be doing mainly rails go with more of a jib board but if you want some air too just go with an all around freestyle board...when it comes to brands it really is a matter of picking a good brand (there are many; Rome, Never Summer, Atomic, Burton, Lib Tech, etc.) and going with one of their boards that fit your budget and you think look kool!! Oh, and of course make sure it is your size too Hope that helps some...